1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a music apparatus for performing acoustic processing on externally supplied voice signals according to predetermined command information. More specifically, the present invention relates to a music apparatus capable of automatically switching to an adapted harmony type in the music apparatus having a capability of generating harmony voices on the basis of voice signal and chord signal.
2. Description of Related Art
Music apparatuses are known having an effect imparting capability of generating harmony voices on the basis of a voice signal and chord signal for the effect processing to be performed on a music piece. These music apparatuses provide a harmony type called "vocoder harmony" in which, when a voice is inputted and a keyboard is played, a harmony voice is generated at a pitch specified by the keyboard, and another harmony type called "chordal harmony" in which a chord played by the keyboard is detected to impart harmony voices having pitches of constituent notes of that chord. These harmony types are generically referred to as vocal harmonies.
On the other hand, music apparatuses are known having a capability of switching between a performance mode called "style mode" in which a keyboard play is executed by use of an automatic accompaniment capability for sounding accompaniment sounds based on automatic accompaniment data, and another performance mode called "song mode" that permits keyboard play while sounding tones based on song data recorded in advance.
When performing a music by use of the automatic accompaniment capability, chord specification permits automatic performance of an accompaniment suited to the specified chord. In this case, for a music apparatus having a harmony voice generating capability, the chordal mode is optimum for the harmony of music performance. Therefore, when switching the setting from the state where the song mode is set to the other state where the automatic accompaniment mode is adopted, the vocal harmony should be also switched to the chordal mode.
On the other hand, when performing a music in the song mode, under the state where the vocal harmony is set, it is desired to attach a harmony of the vocoder mode at the pitch specified by the key-on command. Furthermore, because no chord specification is made in the song mode, the chordal mode is not suitable for the vocal harmony. Therefore, when setting the vocal harmony under the song mode, mode switching of the vocal harmony must be executed manually whenever necessary.
Some commercially available recording media (floppy discs for example) recording song data representative of automatic performance signals may record settings of the vocal harmony, for example. With these recording media, however, various settings must be manually executed by users. Namely, these commercially available recording medium products differ from each other in the recording specifications for vocal harmony modes and other modes (with "TUNE 1000" for example, the vocal harmony is recorded in track 15). Therefore, the user must set which track is associated with which mode for the music performance processing according to each particular recording medium product to be used. If the user does not know the contents (corresponding tracks) of the data specifications corresponding to a particular recording medium product, the user may make erroneous settings, thereby failing to make an actually desired music performance.